4 flood insurance claims·$58,524 paid·14 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Rolette County, North Dakota. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 13 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 1998, with 2 claims and $0 paid, the year of Flooding, Ground Saturation,severe Storms.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
7 NOAA storm reports from Rolette County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 14 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Flooding | Mar 23, 2017 |
| Flooding | Apr 22, 2013 |
| Flooding | Feb 14, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 13, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Ground Saturation | Mar 30, 2006 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record And/or Near Record Snow | Oct 4, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
13 since 1996: 9 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 16, 2023 | $20,000 · 1 killed |
| Flood | Feb 15, 2011 | $200,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2009 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Mar 6, 2009 | $105,000 |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2009 | $145,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2008 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2007 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2005 | $33,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 16, 2023. The spring snow melt of 2023 saw many areas of flooding over North Dakota due to a record deep snow pack and relatively fast melt. Multiple counties experienced infrastructure damage due to the flooding. In addition, during the morning hours of April 16, a flood death (direct) occurred as a 54 year old female was driving a 2004 Ford Escape along ND Highway 66 near the intersection of 47th Avenue NE, to the northwe…
Flood · Feb 15, 2011. Flooding was the result of a minor early melt dislodging a stop log on a dam upstream of Belcourt along Ox Creek. Contributing to this flooding through Belcourt was the inappropriate disposal of heavy snow from the season into the creek bed. Flooded was a number of homes and the dialysis center at the local hospital. There were 26 Project Worksheets (PW). Estimated damages were $200,000.
Flash Flood · Jun 18, 2009. In the early afternoon of June 18th, Severe Thunderstorm Watch 465 was issued due to thunderstorms developing, and expected to be severe, in the vicinity of an approaching upper level low pressure system. Multiple severe thunderstorm warnings were issued. Several reports of large hail and severe thunderstorm wind gusts were received during the afternoon hours. In addition, flash flooding from very heavy rainfall w…
Flood · Mar 6, 2009. This devastating flooding continued into April, and in some cases worsened.||Western and central North Dakota experienced a snowy winter of 2008-2009. Bismarck, for example, had the snowiest December on record, which was also the snowiest month ever on record, with 33.3 inches of snow in December 2008. March 2009 was the fifth snowiest month on record with 29.7 inches. For the entire season Bismarck ended up the s…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Rolette County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.